@Bob McBride...Thanks, and I will research it more to find less biased sources.

@ Bucky...Just pull your head outta the sand recently?!?! 98% of politicians lie and cheat and mis-speak and are agenda driven based on lobying...so just cuz Walker doesn't fit into any part of your idealisms doesn't make him any better or worse...instead of just complaining...do something or offer a better idea on change...The only person I actually hear offer any kind of alternative ideas (though i do not always agree) is Lyle, and i respect his opinion because of it...

At least Walker didn't say "We should not, we must not, and I will not, raise taxes".

@ Dennis...and when it comes time to vote again...it is your rite to vote Walker out of office...until then...got any good ideas on change instead?...meanwhile, I'll go over a couple of pages and read Jim Kube's blog post on music to get some substance for my day...

Dave, you don't believe 98% of politiicans lie, cheat, etc.? Gee, Gov. Walker was an eagle scout. If he falls into your category, he should have his merit badges revoked.

@ Jim Bob...go ahead and revoke them...not mine to worry about...but if you want me to believe that you never have either then how is he any different in that aspect...

@ Dennis...Oh that's right...i forgot...Wisconsin was the only state in the United States that wasn't going broke and we had all kinds of money to hand out and give away and everyone is rich and has money to spare and living the 'American Dream' before Governor Walker took office...C'mon Dennis...solutions please...not empty suite hide behind your keyboard name calling......

I guess it's easy to believe anything as long as it supports ur agenda...

Yes, Dennis Allen, that was true. The tax breaks would create a deficit. The pay cuts to state workers were intended to fill the hole created by the tax breaks. A manufactured crisis, complete with a no-doubt Koch-brothers funded, focus-grouped, catchphrase developed specifically to appeal to the easily fooled, "We're broke!"

Well, we are now!

Well said, Mike. And let's not forget how excited he was at the prospect of "dropping the bomb" during his fake Koch brother phone call. He knew full well the turmoil he would cause, and he didn't care. That's not leadership. He's now started parroting "bipartisanship," which he earlier dismissed as a bad thing. It's hard to believe how much damage this guy has done in such a short time.

You lefties are delussional. What amazes me that it only took Walker 6 weeks to undo all the crap that Doyle dealt this state in 12 years. Now that is pure genius!!!

Your post was very instructive, Brian. Thank you.

@Brian Dey...Look who's calling people delusional. Your world is tightly wrapped in delusion that the least bit of reality that shines through is totally rejected. Is your wife OK with your Bromance with Scooter. To unquestioningly support someone like Walker really makes me question either your sanity or intelligence.

@Brian Dey...Your last comment is way off the mark. You like Scooter because now you can get your vouchers for that charter school.

Why would Brian vote for a balanced budget when there really wasn't a problem in Wisconsin? Did Brian even think about the "Unionistas" before the Koch brothers-funded attack campaign that was launched on February 11, 2011? And how can he make remarks about "lefties" thinking there is a "never ending cash cow called the taxpayers" when it is the Republicans who have created the worst economic crisis this country has ever seen this side of the Great Depression? (Big Business caused that one, too!). I suppose he's right about "making our stand last November." The ignorati made their voices heard and their reward will be that they will swirl down the financial drain right along with the rest of us. Our continuing punishment will be that we will have to keep listening to their drivel as we drown.

@patchreader 123...The state constitution requires a balanced budget. Therefore, any governor must support and create a balanced budget. Walker used the lexicon of language to create fear in the electorare by claiming "We are broke!" This was a false statement then and is a false statement now. Although Wisconsin was projecting a $3.6 billion shortfall, Doyle was looking at over $5.0 billion during his tenure.

The proper approach to closing the budget gap needed to be a combination of cutting government expenditures and creating new streams of revenue. The most onerious taxes in the state are individual property taxes. Wisconsin needs to commit to changing from relying so heavily on property taxes and shift to other sources. My personal preferance is to overhaul the state sales tax and stop exempting certain services from sales taxes, I would also increase the state sales tax by 1/2 percent. I would also raise state alcohol tax, some of the lowest in the nation. Finally, to boost revenues, I would impose a luxury tax VAT on luxury items and services.

Finally, the number one priority has to be job growth. Support of alternative energy sources, including wind power and bio-generation. I would also support urban farming and other entreprenural enterprises. Employment will not come from stealing companies from other states or giving away the farm to the state's largest employers. It will only come from local small business.

Lyle- You do a nice job of explaining your raising taxes, but I noticed you said something about cutting expenditures and mention nothing. Walker did both. Having public employees contribute a modest (by private sector standards) a mere 5.8% contribution towards their still lavish pension (again by private sector standards) and 12% to their health insurance premium (once again, modest by private sector standards) created huge savings. The alternative was mass lay-offs which we saw when Milwaukee Public Schools cut their deal with the union prior to Act 10.

The 2/3rds funding formula was no longer working. We saw that when I was on the RUSD board in 2005. BTW, RUSD was the 3rd largest receipient of state aid and the 3rd largest budget including the state's budget. The money that could be grabbed from other funds was dried up and hence, Doyle did not seek re-election.

Why did aspects of collective bargaining have to go? Quite simply, the unions were never going to uniformily agree to the contributions and I saw that first hand through two negotiations with 6 different unions. We asked for lower percentage increases and never achieved them. What we got was $19 singel and $29 family towards premiums and nothing towards pension. To get that, we gave them 2 - 2 yr deals with 4.5% increases in each of the 4 years. So, at least from my experience, it is disingenuous of the unions to claim that they would have taken the cuts.

Like I stated before, you lefties think there is this cash cow called the taxpayer, and obviously from the right, our solutions do not include raising taxes, but first seeking cuts because we have a spending problem, not a revenue problem. I would even agree to raise taxes if all practical cuts didn't achieve the goal of a balanced budget and there better be a pretty compelling case to do so, not because the unions are going to whine.

Finally, your last paragraph is laughable (Solyndra comes to mind). But I do agree that small businesses are the job creators, not government.

@Brian Dey...In cutting expenditures i want to catagorize the issue of government spending. The first issue is that of public unions. Public unions have to be recognised as not a single entity that the Governor and Republicans have mistakenly portrayed, but are segmented into teacher unions represented by WEAC and public employee unions represented by AFSME. The problems surrounding the teachers unions were not experienced by the other public unions. State employees were never given a choice as to the retirement system or the healthcare providers. The state provided four optional carriers that the state negotiated with. As far as state wages, again the unions had very little impact and in the last ten years, state wages had only increased a little over 5%. As it stands right now, the loss to state workers and other public employees, exempting public school teachers, will be $300 MM over the biennium, while the projected suplus of $300 MM is equal to the emmployees' loss. I don't think it was unreasonable for public employees to contribute more to their healthcare, but the 5.8% pension contribution is a direct pay cut since state contributions to the pension are defined as deferred earnings.

The situation with teachers is an entirely different matter. It was the local school districts that have created the mess. with complicity of WEAC. Instead of limiting teacher's unions collective bargaining, I would taken all healthcare plans off the table. (continued) .

@Brian Dey...(continued) I would have encouraged school districts to sign on to the state healthcare system. If they did not, then the overage they paid for healthcare would be subtracted from their shared revenue grant. Also, instead of cutting the revenue sharing by $800 MM, I would have cut the shared revenue by $350 MM and limited property tax levy rates to 1.5% each year for two years.

Also, to further cut spending, I would impose a modified state hiring freeze for two years with a provision to limit new hires to replacing retirees at a rate of for every two that retired one would be replaced. All supervisor positions would be filled from within an agency. I would also improve contract oversight and eliminate overages.

The only funds that could be expended for transportation would be limited to revenues collected through gas taxes and transportation fees.

I would reorganize legislative districts to 21 senators and 79 assmeblymen/women. I would make all elected legislative positions part time and impose term limits to 4 consecutive terms for assembly representatives, 2 consecutive terms for senator and 2 consecutive terms for governor and lieutenant governor..

I would repeal truth in sentencing laws, accelerate early release and close several prisons.

I would abandon W2 and create a new AFDC program. AFDC was actually cheaper than W2.

@Lyle Ruble... Does the State self insure? Can school districts offer the state plan(s) now? If they do self insure, the cost of insurance would be: actual total health benefits paid + 7 to 11% of the benefits paid. (near the medicaid administration costs of 7%). Employers with total workers> 500 can lower the cost of health care through self insurance. Most large insurance companies offer this service, and it appears / performs for the employee as a standard purchased health plan.

That would be significant, as long as, private farms benefit vs. corprations.